More on the Belzebul Robber Fly
August 20, 2009
These photos were taken today, Aug. 20th. These flies are still in our yard (first spotted on Aug. 6th), still hanging out among the crepe myrtle trees. I never did spot any fly eggs, but they certainly may be on the trees or grass. I think this is one of the robber flies with what appears to be a honeybee as prey. Sorry the photo isn’t very clear. The flies zip away if I get very close with the camera. This one flew away, prey and all. One fly is the gigantic one, and we have several that are smaller but seem to be the same species.
I read with interest the information cited about the robber flies; we don’t have any barnyards near, but we do have a creek bed behind us with tall sedges and grasses, and we are on the edge of town with extensive cow pastures/brushy areas beginning one block away. Love your website!
Ellen
Coryell County, Texas, where it is HOT and we’re in drought conditions
Bee Killer Kills Bee
Hi Ellen,
There are at least 3 different species of Bee Killers in the genus Mallophora that live in Texas, and though your previous submission was identified by us as a Belzebul Bee Eater, we believe this specimen to be a Southern Bee Killer, Mallophora orcina, based on the coloration of the beard and abdomen as depicted on BugGuide.
Follow0up
Possible Young Belzebul Bee Eater or Something Else?
August 20, 2009
I’m not sure if this is a young Belzebul Bee Eater or not. I’m sending two photos of the original gigantic Belzebul (8-6-09) and a new photo of one of the smaller flies I’m seeing around the yard (8-20-09). The eyes and antennae seem the same, but the smaller insects have yellow hair on the abdomens and not as much black hair on the legs.
I sent some photos earlier today of one of these smaller flies with honeybee prey.
I had a thought about the eggs also. Although we don’t have a compost pile or barnyard, we do have mulch in all of the gardens. We may be hatching Belzebul eggs as well as a myriad of spiders, caterpillars and beetles. 
It’s summertime and the living is easy but it’s very hot. Thanks.
Ellen
Coryell County, Central Texas
Southern Bee Killer
Hi Ellen,
This confirms what we wrote back on the earlier email. We believe this is a Southern Bee Killer.
Cicada killer!!!
August 19, 2009
Thought you guys would like these cool pictures of a cicada killer (I think) attacking a cicada!!! I heard a weird buzz and saw them fighting so I ran and got my camera…enjoy!!!
Brian M
Baltimore, MD
European Hornet stings Cicada
Hi Brian,
Wow. What a fantastic action photo of a female Cicada Killer stinging a Cicada to feed her brood.
Correction
August 29, 2009
Hi, Daniel:
“Cicada killer stinging cicada” is actually a European hornet, Vespa crabro. They are large, pretty fearless predators on a variety of other insects. They will also raid bee hives for the honey, crushing worker bees in their massive jaws along the way.
Eric
We saw this bug eating a wasp. We’ve never seen one before. What is it?
August 15, 2009
We saw this bug eating a wasp. We’ve never seen one before. What is it?
Your letter to the bugman Please help us identify this ugly unusual furry bug preying on a wasp. We live in the Los Angeles area and this was in our back yard.
Sincerely, Daniel and Jill
Los Angeles, CA
Bee Killer eats Golden Paper Wasp
Dear Daniel and Jill,
The predator is a Robber Fly known as a Bee Killer, Mallophora fautrix, and the prey is a Golden Paper Wasp, Polistes aurifer.
Correction
August 15, 2009
The prey here is the European Paper Wasp, Polistes dominulus.
bugbrainz
Thanks for the correction. According to BugGuide: “no other species of Vespidae has mostly orange antennae.”
Chinese mantis feeds on carpenter bee
August 13, 2009
Hi bugman! I took these shots about a year ago and have been meaning to send them to you. I was sitting on my porch and saw some something moving in my mom’s garden. Then I went down to check it out and to my surprise there was this little guy eating a carpenter bee. I hope you like my pics. P.S. Love your site!
Alex Busato, age 10
Southwest PA
Chinese Mantid eats Carpenter Bee
Hi Alex,
Thanks for sending us your photos of a Chinese Mantid, Tenodera aridifolia sinensis, feeding on a Carpenter Bee. This is an excellent addition to our Food Chain section.
Chinese Mantid east Carpenter Bee
Big moth and black widow
August 14, 2009
My son and I had a Discovery Channel moment leaving the post office yesterday. This moth was alive, and the spider was working very hard to wrap it up. It would climb up, drop a line down, throw a couple of legs over the moth, go over to the other wing, and repeat. The moth was fluttering but losing the battle.
We couldn’t believe this was right in the middle of the sidewalk (yes, there was a brick column in the *middle* of the sidewalk) at the entrance to a busy post office in the middle of the day!
I was going to take video but could only manage a quick cell phone photo before a well-meaning man came up and stomped the spider.
I think this is a real black widow, but I’m having trouble positively identifying the moth. We see them all the time here in Georgia – as the summer progresses, the moths get bigger.
Can you help?
Patty and Gabriel
Powder Springs, Georgia
Black Widow captures Regal Moth
Hi Patty and Gabriel,
We are sorry to hear that this shy and retiring, though poisonous Black Widow was stomped before getting to enjoy its gargantuan meal. The moth is a very bedraggled Regal Moth or Royal Walnut Moth. Its appearance indicates that it was already at the end of its short adult life. Regal Moths do not feed as adults, and only fly long enough to mate and lay eggs, and possibly, like this specimen, provide a nutritious meal to a lucky predator.
Yet another cicada killer
August 12, 2009
My technique for getting interesting photos is to NEVER leave the house without a camera slung around my neck. I don’t always get excellent results, but at least I do get a lot of shots.
This cicada killer was buzzing around the neighborhood and I was able to follow it to a garage with a ladder conveniently close by that let me follow it into the gutter….
Pat
southwest lower michigan
Cicada Killer with prey
Hi Pat,
Because the Cicada prey weighs so much more than the Cicada Killer predator, the Cicada Killer often cannot take off from the ground to fly back to her burrow, so she climbs to a high spot and glides in the direction of her burrow. We suspect that is the reason you captured this photo in the gutter. Your documentation of a Cicada Killer and her prey is quite a score. Thanks for sending it to our site. We would much rather post photos of living insects than dead ones.
Carnage, Purely Natural!
August 10, 2009
Thanks again for providing such a great resource. I have e-mailed before about a Regal Jumping Spider in October of 2008 and have used your archives so many times to identify the critters I stumble across. You were a help again today to identify this Robber Fly that I photographed today at Troy Springs State Park in north-central Florida. Your previous example was unfortunately squished so I thought I would share my photos of a Robber Fly doing the squishing… or sucking. I also hope that you don’t mind that I recommended your page on my blog, 365 Days Through the Eyes of a Park Ranger (www.rangervision.blogspot.com).
Keep up the great work and thanks for the effort that you put into this site even with your busy schedules.
Amy
Branford, FL
- Robber Fly eats Grasshopper
Hi Amy,
First we must clarify that we do not consider Food Chain images to be carnage. Carnage is senseless slaughter. Your photo depicts the beauty of the natural world. We are honored to be recommended on your blog as we have tremendous respect for park rangers. We believe your Robber Fly is in the subfamily Asilinae which has many genera represented on BugGuide, but we are uncertain of the genus or species. Perhaps a specialist in the Family will write in and assist in this identification.
- Robber Fly eats Grasshopper
Bee eating another bee
August 6, 2009
We saw a bee catch another bee in midair. It then flew away with it’s prey in mouth only to get eaten by a bird in midair. Food chain in action!
Jonathan Bergado
Santa Fe Springs, CA
Bee Killer Kills Bee
Hi Jonathan,
The predator in your photo is not a Bee, but rather a Robber Fly known as a Bee Killer. It is Mallophora fautrix, the only member of the genus in California according to BugGuide. The prey is a Honey Bee.
Bee KIller Kills Bee
Cicada Killer
August 5, 2009
Hello
I recently found this interesting wasp looking bug hanging from my balcony holding a cicada. Normally, I would not have known what the heck was going on here (some kind of inter-species fling??) But just that morning, I had read an article in the local newsletter about these interesting bugs, and decided to take a few pics. The article was lettiong members of the community know to not kill them or try to exterminate them, that they are a “good bug” (as most are, but still we have to squish or swat them out of fear)
After perusing your site for the identification of a house centipede (a very scary million-legged beast that was crawling around with our son on the floor. Unfortunately, after reading about it, I would have tried to put it outside to battle our spider problem…) I thought about the pictures I had taken of the cool Cicada Killer in action. I thought that they would be a great addition to your site and some good education for paeple that may not know about them. Sadly, the Cicada Killer could not keep holding on to the balcony with one leg, and dropped his prey, so I got a pic of that too (quite a pretty cicada actually).
Enjoy and keep doin what youre doin, and thanks for my newfound interest in bugs
Cool Bug Lover
Washington, DC
Cicada Killer and Annual Cicada
Dear Cool Bug Lover,
Thanks for sending us your great food chain images of a Cicada Killer and an Annual Cicada. Female Cicada Killers are used to struggling with their large ungainly prey and we suspect she eventually arrived at her burrow with her catch. The Cicada Killer takes advantage of gravity by climbing trees and other tall structures and gliding toward the nest with the prey in tow. We are also gladdened to hear your local newsletter is promoting tolerance of Cicada Killers which terrify many of our readers.
Cicada Killer and Annual Cicada Prey
Crane Fly with a hefty meal I suspect?
August 1, 2009
I was at a park and I saw a pair (attached) of flying insects buzz by and so I naturally went over to have a look. I was expecting a mating pair but then I saw this. The blurry picture was while what I suspect is a Crane Fly was grappling for better control of the wasp (also a very windy day). I’m curious, is this indeed a Crane Fly?
Jeff
Mount Pleasant, SC (near Charleston)
- Hanging Thief eats Red Wasp
Hi Jeff,
Your predator is a Robber Fly known as a Hanging Thief in the genus Diogmites which may be viewed on BugGuide, and the prey is a Red Wasp, Polistes carolina, which can also be viewed on BugGuide. Hanging Thieves often catch their prey while flying. Hanging Thieves get their common name from their habit of hanging from one leg while eating.
Giant bee eating Japanese beetle
July 30, 2009
Hello!
While working in my garden, i came across what appeared to be a giant bumblebee eating a Japanese beetle. The bee had a fuzzy abdomen that was striped yellow and black. It was between 1 3/4 ” and 2 ” long. The Japanese beetle was 1/2 ” long. The bee was flying around holding the beetle in it’s mouth. It was huge! Any ideas on what it is?
tree
Floyd county, VA
Bee-Like Robber Fly eats Japanese Beetle
Hi tree,
About a week ago we receive a question if Robber Flies ate Japanese Beetles. We wish your photo had arrived before we answered. Since Japanese Beetles are an invasive exotic species that does considerable damage to ornamental plants, many gardeners would welcome these Robber Flies into their yards, including our own mother in Ohio. This is a Bee-Like Robber Fly in the genus Laphria, which can be distinguished from the genus Mallophora by the antennae. This is explained on BugGuide on the Mallophora genus page thus: “Resemble Laphria, another genus of robbers that mimic bumblebees, but is even hairier and has antennae with a very thin terminal final segment, whereas Laphria has thick antennae.“ Based on images posted to BugGuide, we believe your specimen most closely resembles Laphria grossa, but we would like an expert confirmation on the species.
Bee-Like Robber Fly eats Japanese Beetle
Carpenter Ants Devour Emerging Cicada
July 29, 2009
Dear Bug Man:
Thought you might be able to use one of these photos in your “food chain’ category. My son called me over to an old oak tree, to see a group of carpenter ants eating what he thought was a large caterpillar. When I got there, I could see it was an emerging cicada. I don’t know if the cicada died as a result of not being able to emerge fully from it’s nymphal skin, and the ants were just scavenging the carcass. Or, if the ants started attacking it shortly after it crawled up the tree. No idea what type of cicade this one is, but parts of it were a lovely turquoise green. This was the only cicada on the whole tree–no other shells or nymphs were around. Was this cicada’s biological clock working OK?
Chris O.
Wildwood Park, near Toledo, OH
Carpenter Ants devour emergent Cicada
Hi Chris,
Thanks so much for sending us your wonderful food chain documentation of Carpenter Ants devouring an Annual Cicada that was in the process of metamorphosis. We suspect the Carpenter Ants attacked the Cicada while it was helpless and unable to escape. The Cicada’s biological clock was right on time, as they emerge during the summer. This is an Annual Cicada, and unlike the Periodical Cicadas that emerge every 14 or 17 years, the Annual Cicadas emerge each year.
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Posted 29 July 2009
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Ants § Cicadas
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